Belmont Stakes: More success for Farish family’s Lane’s End

Palace Malice vindicated himself with a Belmont Stakes victory on Saturday.

Palace Malice’s victory in the Belmont Stakes represented an all-encompassing triumph for William Stamps Farish III's Lane’s End, which bred the colt and stands his sire, Curlin.

It was the fourth Belmont victory for Farish - who owns Lane's End with his wife, Sarah - as a breeder, and the first where he was the sole breeder of record. With longtime business partner William Kilroy, he bred A.P. Indy (1992) and Lemon Drop Kid (1999); and he bred 1987 winner Bet Twice with E.J. Hudson.

Based in Versailles, Ky., the first 240 acres of what became Lane’s End was purchased by Farish in 1979. Since then, the farm has developed into a two-time Eclipse Award winner as outstanding breeder, and Farish himself earned an Eclipse Award of Merit in 2009 for his lifetime of success in the Thoroughbred industry.

The Lane’s End breeding program has undoubtedly left its mark on North America’s bloodlines in its 34 years of existence. Among the most notable horses bred at least in part by Farish is Weekend Surprise, Broodmare of the Year in 1992; she is the dam of Horse of the Year A.P. Indy and Preakness Stakes winner Summer Squall, both bred by Farish and Kilroy.

In 1999, Farish became the first breeder since A.J. Alexander to breed or co-breed two horses that won the three Triple Crown races, with Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner Charismatic, by Summer Squall, and Belmont winner Lemon Drop Kid.

Lane’s End opened its stallion operation in 1985, and currently stands 19 stallions, including two-time Horse of the Year Curlin, who debuted at the farm in 2009, and sired the Belmont Stakes winner from his first crop. Other notable stallions to stand at Lane’s End over the years include leading North American sires A.P. Indy and Smart Strike, as well as Kingmambo, Candy Ride, Gulch, Mineshaft, and Lemon Drop Kid.

Farish, 74, worked as a stockbroker in Houston, Texas, and later became involved in the mining and exploration industry, as president of Navarro Exploration Company and Fluorex. He is a prominent member of the Republican Party and served as the United States Ambassador to the Court of St. James’s, the royal court of the United Kingdom, from 2001 to 2004.

In the racing industry, Farish served as the chairman of the board for Churchill Downs from 1992 to 2001, and was appointed as a trustee to the Keeneland Association in 2006. He has also been a steward and a vice chairman of The Jockey Club, and a director and chairman of the Breeders’ Cup Executive Committee.

Lane’s End is also a leading consignor in the yearling and breeding stock markets, and Palace Malice was the seventh Belmont winner sold by the operation – with Thunder Gulch (1995), Jazil (2006), and Rags to Riches (2007) joining the four other winners bred by Farish. In 2004, Lane’s End consigned homebred Mr. Sekiguchi, whose $8-million price once made him the most expensive horse in the history of the Keeneland September yearling sale.

Palace Malice was sold by Lane’s End, as agent, at the 2011 Keeneland September yearling sale for $25,000, purchased by Colin Brennan, agent. Owner Dogwood Stable bought the colt out of the Keeneland April 2-year-olds in training sale for $200,000, consigned by Niall Brennan Stables, agent.

Please, anybody has any information about the female line of Palace Malice? Seems to me that IMPORTANT part of the discussion was left out of this interesting article. Where is the mare? Lane's End? Any other foals? Seems to me she gave a lot of "1 1/4 foundation" to Palace enroute to becoming a classic winner in the US.

Russell Powell

More than 1 year ago

See Patrick Reed's article on Curlin, he disagrees with you:
Delving into Palace Malice’s pedigree, the majority of stamina influence arises from his sire’s side, as Curlin won a grand total of five races at 1 1/4 miles (counting both the Dubai World Cup and a handicap in Dubai during spring 2008 at just a shade under that distance) and as mentioned nearly won the Belmont.
Palace Malace’s dam, the Royal Anthem mare Palace Rumor, won the 1 1/16-mile Audubon Oaks at Ellis Park in 2006 but never earned a graded stakes placing and did her best running in the optional claiming ranks. She has had two other foals to race, and both of them have won at a very modest level: the fillies Lady June Bug, who has won three of ten starts, all at 5 1/2 furlongs; and Puritanka, who won in Russia at about six furlongs.
Palace Rumor is a half-sister to Maya’s Storm and Jumpifyoudare, who both won multiple stakes races at Prairie Meadows at distances ranging from 5 1/2 furlongs to six furlongs. That trio of stakes winners is out of the winning Red Ransom mare Whisperifyoudare, Palace Malice’s second dam. She is a half-sister to Sweet Trip, by Carson City, who is the dam of Grade 1 winner Rail Trip, a hard-trying gelding owned by Jay Em Ess Stable who took the 2007 Hollywood Gold Cup in track-record time for 1 1/4 miles. Rail Trip, who also ran second in the 2008 Hollywood Gold Cup, provides the only dose of classic-distance stamina in the first three generations of Palace Malice’s female family.

Russell Powell

More than 1 year ago

Although I remember Royal Anthem was a gorgeous, very tall, stayer on the grass. I saw him in person at the Gulfstream Breeders Cup and to this day remember his as a very beautiful horse.

Ray Sousa

More than 1 year ago

as usual the drf article is misleading at best...ROYAL ANTHEM was a turf stayer who won at least two gr1 races at a 1 1/2 miles on turf the king George in England and the breeders cup turf ....the mares dam was by RED RANSOM and she has ROBERTO in her pedigree one of the best sources of stamina as well as SASSAFRAS who won the French derby at 1 1/2 m, the French st leger at 1 1/2 m and the prix de arc de triomphe Europe's biggest race at 1 1/2 miles so there is plenty of stamina there.